Woodward signals England's intent with bold selection

IF FORTUNE truly does align itself with the brave then England will fully justify their status as odds-on favourites to win their first match at the Millennium Stadium, against Wales on Saturday.

Clive Woodward, England's manager, has come up with a bold selection for his side's Six Nations Championship opener, making five changes, one positional, from the side that ended a successful autumn run of three straight victories by beating South Africa.

Iain Balshaw, an incisive, imaginative runner, gets the nod at full-back over his Bath team-mate, Matt Perry; Mike Catt teams up with Will Greenwood in the centre at the expense of Mike Tindall and the jockeying for position in the front row sees Phil Vickery restored on the tight head over Julian White and a first start for Leicester hooker Dorian West, who edges out Mark Regan. As expected, Martin Johnson carries on as captain even though his five-week suspension does not end until Friday.

Full marks to Woodward then for enterprise, even if it does trigger a short-ranged sweepstake for the number of seconds it takes for Welsh fly-half Neil Jenkins to hoist the first horrible, steepling, kick Balshaw's way. It will not take much longer either for Scott Gibbs to aim his first run at the Greenwood rib-cage. On both counts, and with proper justification, England are confident that they can cope.

The vibes from the Welsh camp are of an altogether different nature; more discordant, less assured. Graham Henry, the coach, has also taken a radical stance although his hand had fewer trump cards with which to play. He has dropped Cardiff full-back Rhys Williams and gambled on Stephen Jones, the Llanelli outside-half, being able to step into unfamiliar territory.

Jones, 23, who will be winning his seventh cap, has never started an international match at full-back and last played there for his club three years ago. Williams, shaky and hesitant in the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Gloucester at the weekend, caused a wobble too many in the Henry mind. Jones, too, might get an early taste of that Garryowen medicine.

"Stephen is the type of guy who will not be fazed by the occasion," Henry said. "He had not been part of our plans but the form of the other full-backs has not been that encouraging."

Swansea centre Mark Taylor, who had his first match in 10 weeks last Sunday after recovering from a knee operation, takes his place alongside club colleague Scott Gibbs, with Allan Bateman moving to the bench.

In the pack David Young comes in on the tight head, with Darren Morris switching to the other side. In between them will be Llanelli hooker Robin McBryde, who ousts Garin Jenkins. McBryde has won only three further caps since his debut seven years ago. Martyn Williams, Cardiff's open-side flanker, wins a recall at the expense of Nathan Budgett, Colin Charvis moving across to the blind side in Budgett's place.

Throw all that into the mix and you have one team picking from strength, and the other shoring up frailties as best they can. The impact of the two Welsh defeats by English clubs in last weekend's Heineken Cup quarter-finals has made its mark.

England look set on broadening their game from the autumn. They have a strong-running back three in Balshaw, Dan Luger and Ben Cohen. "It's tough on Matt Perry," Woodward said, "but Balshaw is playing fantastically well for Bath.

"As for the centres, they are the two most talented players at the moment. Greenwood's defence held him back earlier in the year but he has worked hard on that area."

Greenwood, an inside centre for his club, will mix and match with Catt in attack, although he has been selected as an outside centre. "The plan is to be flexible," Greenwood says. "I'm very excited about it. We've been training this way for a couple of weeks, it hasn't just been thrust upon me. It's up to me to find space, play a bit of football and bring in the likes of Balshaw."

West, 33, the second oldest hooker in the Premiership after Rotherham's Terry Garnett, was born in Wrexham but moved to Leicestershire at the age of three.

He has spent many lonely hours mastering the throwing-in art and it has paid off for he has consistently been the best hooker on the club scene this season. He wins his fourth cap. Wasps hooker Phil Greening is injured.